3 Islands Seeks To Preserve Quiet

All of these -- or some of these -- could become part of the Three Islands community as residents try to preserve their quiet existence.

The Council of the Three Islands Associations, made up of the presidents of the 11 condominium and homeowner associations on the island, wants to control traffic in the neighborhood by either creating a ``safe neighborhood district`` or turning the two main boulevards into private roads.

Three Islands is just north of Hallandale Beach Boulevard on the Intracoastal Waterway. About 5,000 people live in the community, which is composed mostly of high-rise condominiums.

The residents are worried about the traffic and strangers who might be attracted to the area once the planned Wal-Mart department store opens on the south end and hundreds of homes are built in a Hollywood development to the north.

``We are gathering all the information now and hope to present it to the council in a few weeks,`` said Ray Ackerman, the council`s executive director. ``But the presidents, who speak for themselves and not necessarily their memberships, all think this is a positive step.``

City Attorney Richard Kane said the city is looking into different ways for Three Islands, like Golden Isles, to become a safe neighborhood district.

Unlike privatization, which means the roads become private and the residents pay to maintain them, a safe district restricts the use of the roads, which remain public.

``Today, you can restrict access with the safe neighborhood districts,`` Kane said. ``There are various ways to set them up.``

The City Commission allowed Golden Isles to become a safe district two years ago. Guards check cars into Golden Isles and a monitoring system helps keep the area free of crime, Kane said.

Golden Isles residents pay for the restricted access through a tax based on their property values.

Ackerman estimates it would cost Three Islands homeowners about $1.25 per $1,000 of assessed property value the first year and $1 per $1,000 later.

The safe district can be set up by the commission or by residents through a referendum, Kane said. Three Islands residents probably would be able to restrict access by the residents of the Hollywood development that is being built by Avatar Inc., Kane said.

``This proposal has a great deal to do with Avatar because of all of the people who will be living there eventually,`` Ackerman said. ``Between that traffic and the people drawn to Wal-Mart, it`s going to be a big problem for the residents of this neighborhood.``